China ratifies the Beijing treaty !

Concluded in 2012, the WIPO Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual performances (BTAP) is an international treaty acknowledging, for the first time, the intellectual property rights of performers with regard to their audiovisual performances. On Thursday April 24th, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China (NPC) ratified the BTAP, becoming the third country after Syria and Botswana to do so and FIA welcomes this new ratification.

Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said in a report to the NPC Standing Committee that “the treaty is expected to boost China's commitment to international cooperation infilm and performance, improve China's legal system regarding copyright protection, and advance the country'sperformance art industry”

The BTAP is indeed the first of its kind granting a meaningful IP protection to audiovisual performances, with moral rights and economic rights adapted to both analogue and digital environments, but will enter into force only after ratification by 30 eligible countries. In order to encourage this process, FIA is about to publish a simple and comprehensive guide to the treaty, as understanding the BTAP is key to promoting its value to decision-makers and helping the ratification process to continue to gather momentum. The guide will soon be available on FIA’s website.